Creative Date Ideas

If you want to inject a little romance or spontaneity into a date, without breaking the bank, try following some of these ideas. You might just surprise yourself – and your partner!

1. Hike to the top of a mountain for a picnic.

2. Take a rowboat out on a lake at sunset.

3. Go up to the top of a building in a large city and take in the view.

4. Dress for a formal party, and then walk down the streets singing love songs.

5. Find a dark, romantic bistro with great coffees and desserts, or an independent book store that encourages browsing.

6. Find a rarely-used corner deep in the stacks of your library. Blow the dust off some musty old volume and read it aloud together. Steal a few hot kisses.

7. Pretend you've just won the lottery. "Shop" for your dream furnishings in elegant craft galleries, jewellery stores, and similar shops.

8. Test drive a sports car together.

9. Visit a specialty food factory such as a chocolate factory.

10. Browse a ritzy museum, gift shop or art gallery.

11. Drive along the outer borders of your city or county, exploring new neighbourhoods and villages where you've never been.

12. Ride a city's entire public rail transit system, going out on remote branch lines, just for the heck of it.

13. Spend the whole evening dressed and acting as characters from a play, movie, or book that you both enjoyed.

14. Speak only gibberish and let your thoughts be understood from your emotions, gestures, and tone.

15. Explore a wild and scenic place you've always wanted to check out.

16. Walk around celebrity neighbourhoods, looking for glimpses of the rich and famous.

17. Do something completely out of character--something you ordinarily wouldn't be caught dead even thinking about.

18. Go explore a local flea market one Saturday.

19. Get a guide book for your city. See you area through the eyes of tourists. You will be amazed at all the attractions that are hidden nearby.

20. Star gazing - Get a book on constellations and watch the stars. This can be especially fun during a meteor shower.

Ideas for Girls:

1. Go rollerblading. If you know how to rollerblade and he doesn't, teach him. If he knows and you don't, let him teach you. This date is great for breaking the ice because both of you will embarrass yourselves so much that you won't help but be able to laugh. Your true personalities will show.

2. Go for a walk, maybe some coffee after. It seems simple enough, but you'd be surprised about what you'd find out about someone if you'd just give them a chance to tell you. Besides, there's nothing like the ambiance of a great, romantic cafe to get you in the mood.

Ideas for Guys:

1. There's nothing like a good picnic. You can't argue with a classic.

2. Go to see the planes take off. This may be a little difficult, but sometimes there are little nooks and crannies by the highways and roads off of the runways. You can lie down on top of the hood of the car or lay a blanket on the ground and watch as the planes fly right over your head.

3. Plan a romantic evening with chocolate covered strawberries and slow music. Find some of her favourite songs and compile them onto one cassette and play them while you feed her strawberries.

Seasonal Ideas:

Winter Ideas

1. Make a lunch or dinner of hot soup and rolls together and set the table with candles. Play your favourite music.

2. Have an indoor picnic -- lay out a blanket and bring a picnic basket -- just have it on your living room floor!

3. Build a fire and roast marshmallows. If you don't have a fireplace, build a small safe campfire outside. Be sure to put it out completely when you're done and before leaving the area.

4. Build a snow fort together.

5. Surprise your date with "Summer in a Bag!" Get creative: Gather together 2 pairs of sunglasses, coconut suntan oil (for the smell of summer), Put on a Beach Boys CD, blow up a beach ball to toss and pretend it's hot out. It's silly, but it can take the edge out of the winter blues.

6. Make a snowman and snowwoman.

7. Go ice skating.

8. Make angels in the snow.

9. Bundle up and go someplace to watch the sun set over a silhouette of bare trees. As the sun goes down, watch them appear black and strikingly beautiful against the sky.

10. Go to a cappuccino bar, drink decaf and get to know one another.

11. Go sleigh riding.

12. Go for a walk in the snow and catch snow flakes on your tongue.

13. End a winter walk with hot chocolate and mini marshmallows.

14. Go to an arcade.

15. Rent a movie and pop some corn.

16. Rent and watch the video "It's a Wonderful Life!"

17. Assemble a really challenging puzzle.

18. Play board games.

19. Take a night-time walk to look at your neighbours holiday decorations and lights.